


The Magic of the Spheres

by CharmingEliotE (Dragonlady31), Dragonlady31



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Genderbending, Minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Minor Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Original Character(s), Other, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-20 14:31:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20676956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonlady31/pseuds/CharmingEliotE, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonlady31/pseuds/Dragonlady31
Summary: Harry and Dragon are both grieving the death of their siblings/magical partners. However, the volatility of their magic requires a balance, and they must bond in order to ensure their safety.Still reeling with grief and dealing poorly with the implications of a new bond, both are unprepared for the arrival of a necromantic figure who threatens to expose their beloved dead.Will they be able to overcome their individual grief and pain and work together to thwart this dark figure from desecrating their loved ones' final rest?





	1. Those That Were Left

**Author's Note:**

> This leans so heavily into AU that it can just be called a fanwork. (As always, gratitude is owed to the original creators of any and all non-original parts of this story.)
> 
> In this story, Draco is a female named Dragon, magic is based on music, and fantasy religions are explored.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dragon reflects on her grief as she travels to meet Harry for the first time.

In her logical mind, Dragon knew that being reassigned to a new partner was necessary and good. But she deeply resented the necessity on every other level. Nix could never be replaced, and she would have refused to even meet with this Harry Monsturm except for the danger her magic would pose without a safe Source. It was still a raw deal. Less than a year after Nix had gone, and her place would be usurped by some rural healer.

She wanted these last few miles to be done already. To arrive at this Monstrum Mansion, complete the ritual, and sleep like she had been unable to since Nix's passing. She was finding it difficult to distinguish grief from magical fatigue anymore.

Her eventual arrival at the sprawling Monsturm Mansion was greeted by the women of the house. Harry's mother Lily was a powerful Performer. Her exacting posture reminded Dragon that this woman had been in the Drum Corps for over two decades, but her smiling eyes reassured. Next to her sister, Iris appeared both diminutive and cozy. Everything about her looked soft, from her curves to the fabric of her flowing dress. She stepped forward to help Dragon with her luggage, and Dragon saw that this softness was balanced by the precision and force of her motion. 

Iris led Dragon on a detailed tour of the new house where she would be staying for the foreseeable future, ending at the room right next to Harry's that she would be making her own.

"It was Hermione's before she passed. Once she and Harry came back from school, they were too old to stay in the old attic apartment. His room is right next door. They liked to stay close." All of this was said with a deep and quiet grief that echoed Dragon's own.

Once assured that all her luggage had been safely stored in her new bedroom, Dragon was led to the great room, where Lily introduced her to the principal occupants of the house. It appeared that the Monsturm family was in the habit of collecting friends and keeping them with several assorted family members in their home. It sounded like the only one not currently present for the dinner preparations was Harry.

"He's out at Ron's place visiting the twins. He might be home for supper, but he usually stays to eat there if he's out this late." Lily murmured to Dragon as she supervised the laying out of food and tableware.

Dragon secretly hoped that she would not have to meet Harry tonight, as she was fatigued by the day spent traveling. The Attuning ritual that would cement their Bond required a great expenditure of energy, which she felt ill-equipped to manage tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, since Draco is female in this fic, I adjusted the name a little; Dragon sounded a little more feminine than Draco to me. Also, Harry's last name is not Potter. Since this is a fantasy world, I wanted last names that sounded a little more exotic, and I wanted to explore some more unusual naming conventions.
> 
> Monsturm is a family name assigned by the town to one of Harry's ancestors who defeated a sea monster and saved the coastal town they live in from destruction. It's antiquated spelling shows how long the Monsturms have lived in and supported their beloved city on the sea.


	2. Then We Started All Over Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets Dragon for the first time, and they complete the Bonding ritual.

Harry had gotten back late from visiting with Ron the night before, and consequently slept later the next morning. He was in the middle of shaving his dark head, removing the swiftly growing locks to reveal the gold tattooing underneath when a strong knock at his door surprised him. Opening the door, he was surprised to see a strange young woman, pale but tall, standing at his door.

"Who are you?" He asked, confused that it was not his mother or aunt come to ask about breakfast.

"I'm Dragon, your new magical partner. We would've met last night if you'd been here when I arrived."

Harry winced. His priorities lately were skewed towards visiting his godchildren. "I forgot what day it was."

"Well, let's get this Bonding done so we can be along with our lives." Dragon rolled up her sleeves and pulled her conductor's baton out of her thigh holster.

Harry's eyes widened, and he gestured at the room with the straight razor he still held.

"Here? Now? There's supposed to be a ceremony!"

"There's a ceremony when you're first bonding, sure. Bright future, everyone happy. We aren't some pair fresh out of the Academy, Monsturm. We're leftovers, people missing their better half. We need each other to keep from endangering the people around us, that's all."

"Hermione could never be replaced."

"Be thankful you get to visit her kids every week. Nix didn't even leave enough behind to bury."

Harry winced. He knew that Dragon's twin sister and long-term magical partner had been killed by a highly contagious disease, but he did not realize the body had been burnt.

"May I at least finish getting ready?" 

Dragon's pale cheeks colored slightly as she took in Harry's state of partial dress and the half-shaved head. She kept her sleeves rolled up but sat patiently by his desk. Harry finished his morning rituals as quickly as possible, shaving his head until the whole tattoo was visible, buttoning up his shirt, and even putting on his boots. When nothing else needed to be done, he cleared his throat, dragging Dragon's gaze from the little shelf of books he kept.

"Shall we begin?" He tried to keep his voice from shaking. The last time he had done this had been with Hermione, and he had been so confident and excited.

Dragon's eyes met his, and he could see the mask she wore to keep the pain from being visible. Wordlessly she held out her arm.

Harry made the first cut, a gentle slice across her pale wrist, and he hardly felt the returning cut she made on his dark skin. They clasped arms, pressing the cuts together to ensure the blood mingled. They held eye contact and recited the ritual binding words.

"Hand to hand, eye to eye, face to face, and heart to heart," they said in unison, pressing their cheeks together before pulling away to touch the other's heart with their free hands.

The ritual was primarily about intent, the words merely explicating the inner desire to twine one's own internal magic with another's. The last phrase would prove whether the Bonding had Attuned them or whether they would need to find more compatible partners somewhere else.

"Song to song, tune to tune, note to note."

When Harry regained consciousness sometime later, he looked immediately at his left arm. From wrist to elbow, a beautiful shimmer of music now attested to a successful Attuning. The simple Melody (C-D E CFF E D C) symbolized the new bond he had with Dragon to the world. A pang of regret reminded him of what it had been like to see Hermione's Bonding mark ease from his skin after her death. The two images overlaid for a moment, and dizziness washed over him.

A soft waltz-like tune sounded, and he looked up to see that Dragon had pressed her fingertip to the new mark, and it was playing their tune.

"It's an homage to an old folk song."

Harry remembered vaguely that something about traditional musical styles had been her topic of study.

"What's the song about?"

"Loss and the longing for home. I hope you don't mind that I chose it."

Harry caressed the music on his own arm and listened to its sad but hopeful melody. "It's beautiful. I think it's a good way to honor them."

Dragon nodded and then abruptly stood. "I forgot how much that takes it out of you. Will breakfast still be available? I'm famished."

Harry knew they would need time to become used to the other. He could feel how much more peaceful his magic had become just in the few minutes they had been bonded. Since Hermione's death, he had felt pressured, magic slowly pressing more insistently at him every day. Now, that pressured eased. He nodded at Dragon's request and led her downstairs to find some of the morning meal that had not been finished off by his various relatives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The melody Harry and Dragon share is from a song called "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." (It's actually the melody from the titular line.) It's a beautiful song about a war veteran grieving the loss of his comrades and his innocence. Its haunting tune often gets stuck in my head.
> 
> The chapter titles are lines from this song.


	3. Content Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update on content.

Hey! I haven't forgotten this story. I'm working on two others right now that are taking most of my time and attention.

I do plan on coming back to this one eventually, but I need a lot of creative juices since it's such an original AU. I plan to focus more on it once my other two current fics are done.

If you'd like to check those out in the meantime, there is a Good Omens fic featuring cryptids, PhD student Crowley and Aziraphale, and a much slower burn than I expected.  
The second fic is much longer and features a rare pair: Darcy Lewis/JARVIS from the MCU. This fic really delves into ideas of digisexuality, consent, and ethics. We're exploring what it means to have a non-biological love interest, as I am a futurist who thinks that one day our grandkids just might be facing these types of relationship decisions.

These are the fics I am updating regularly right now. Please be patient with me, and I'll get back to this world ASAP!

Thank you all!


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